Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Play Ball!

Todd Zola ranks the starting pitchers as Opening Day approaches, and Chris Sale looks ready to dominate his first time out in a favorable park against a weak lineup.

Updated on March 28, 2018 1:52PM EST

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on March 28, 2018 1:52PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

Finally, Opening Day is upon us! Major League Baseball is opening the season earlier, extending the marathon by four days. Some leagues are wrapping opening week into the first full week, but most are keeping them separate, so we will too. Expect a new set of rankings Saturday for April 2-8.

For those new to the weekly rankings, they will post late morning, early afternoon every Saturday, then updated Sunday night as the probable pitchers crystallize. Check out this week's Z Files for a comprehensive review of the process generating the rankings.

As always, I'll be happy to address any questions on the comments.

With that, let's PLAY BALL!

For the period, March 29 - April 1.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at TB	Great pitchers' park, facing weak lineup, especially against southpaws
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at SEA	On road, but good park against a lineup needing to show it can gel
3	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at SEA	Foot not an issue, all systems go
4	David Price	BOS	at TB	Made peace with fans, let's see if new attitude translates to field
5	Luis Severino	NYY	at TOR	Maybe even better than Kluber over the second half last season
6	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. PIT	Lower strikeouts ping ranking
7	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TOR	Should continue last season's second half improvement
8	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TEX
9	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. LAA	Look for a strong campaign now that ADD

As always, I'll be happy to address any questions on the comments.

With that, let's PLAY BALL!

For the period, March 29 - April 1.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at TB	Great pitchers' park, facing weak lineup, especially against southpaws
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at SEA	On road, but good park against a lineup needing to show it can gel
3	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at SEA	Foot not an issue, all systems go
4	David Price	BOS	at TB	Made peace with fans, let's see if new attitude translates to field
5	Luis Severino	NYY	at TOR	Maybe even better than Kluber over the second half last season
6	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. PIT	Lower strikeouts ping ranking
7	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TOR	Should continue last season's second half improvement
8	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TEX
9	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. LAA	Look for a strong campaign now that ADD meds are under control
10	Sonny Gray	NYY	at TOR
11	Jose Berrios	MIN	at BAL	Future ace, tough park but lineup not as daunting as usual
12	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TEX
13	Rick Porcello	BOS	at TB
14	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at SEA	Favorite or many to take the next step, faces strong challenge in his 2018 debut
15	Chris Archer	TB	vs. BOS
16	James Paxton	SEA	vs. CLE	Talent unquestioned, health and durability the concern
17	Garrett Richards	LAA	at OAK	Could be one of the best if he can shake injury bug
18	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at OAK	Most anticipated debut in years, not a cake walk, A's have pop
19	Hector Velazquez	BOS	at TB	Filling in while Pomeranz, Rodriguez and Wright heal
20	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TOR
21	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at OAK
22	Andrew Triggs	OAK	vs. LAA
23	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TEX	Tough matchup in first start for the defending champs
24	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	at OAK
25	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. NYY
26	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. CLE
27	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. CLE
28	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. CWS	Late spring shoulder tightness not an issue
29	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	at TEX	Top of the rotation stuff in between DL stints
30	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. MIN
31	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. NYY
32	Blake Snell	TB	vs. BOS
33	Jacob Faria	TB	vs. BOS	Tentative, looked good last couple of spring outings
34	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. CWS
35	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at KC	Ticketed for front of the rotation status but still enduring some growing pains
36	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	vs. BOS	Returning from TJS, workload could be monitored early
37	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. NYY
38	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at BAL
39	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. CWS
40	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. MIN	Ranking will rise if he demontrates second half was real
41	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
42	Daniel Mengden	OAK	vs. LAA
43	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. PIT
44	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. HOU	Tough opener to rebound from rough 2017
45	Kendall Graveman	OAK	vs. LAA
46	Francisco Liriano	DET	vs. PIT
47	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at BAL	Aided by outfield defense, but this is a tough park to take advantage
48	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at KC
49	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. HOU	Challenged immediately in return to rotation
50	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. MIN
51	Matt Moore	TEX	vs. HOU
52	James Shields	CWS	at KC
53	Doug Fister	TEX	vs. HOU

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. SF	When healthy, still the best pitcher on the planet.
2	Max Scherzer	WAS	at CIN	Reds offense sneaky good after the break last season
3	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. STL	So much for dialing it down in the spring
4	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. COL	First game with the humidor, Greinke looks fine after spring velocity scare
5	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. STL	Quietly effective last season, draws revamped Cards lineup at home
6	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. SF	Health not only concern, wasn't as sharp last year when on the mound
7	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. SF	Lost effectiveness as the season wore on but begins 2018 in a great spot
8	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at CIN	Tougher draw than perceived in pitcher's park
9	Yu Darvish	CHC	at MIA	Nice spot to debut with new club
10	Jose Quintana	CHC	at MIA	No Stanton, no Ozuna, no problem.
11	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. SF	Got pulled early a lot last season, something to monitor
12	Luke Weaver	STL	at NYM	Mets built solid lineup, especially against righties
13	Chase Anderson	MIL	at SD	In good spot to show last season wasn't a fluke
14	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at MIA
15	Carlos Martinez	STL	at NYM
16	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. WAS	The kid gloves are off this season
17	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. COL	Humidor gives better grip, which could help maintain better control
18	Aaron Nola	PHI	at ATL
19	Jon Lester	CHC	at MIA
20	Johnny Cueto	SF	at LAD	Was 2017's down season due to blisters or something else?
21	Michael Wacha	STL	at NYM	A lower hit rate away from the next level
22	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. PHI	Needs to reain dominance on righty hitters to mitigate damage facing lefties
23	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at CIN
24	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	vs. PHI	Hopefully spends more time pitching than tweeting this season
25	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. PHI	Stuff still great, needs to harness control
26	Tyler Anderson	COL	at ARI
27	Brent Suter	MIL	at SD	Good opportunity to cement rotation spot
28	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at DET	Sleeper pick of many opens on the road, key is containing rejuvenated Miggy and V-Mart
29	Dillon Peters	MIA	vs. CHC
30	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. WAS	Pitched way into rotation, not dominant but still effective
31	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at SD	Probably a little better than you think he is
32	Ivan Nova	PIT	at DET
33	Jon Gray	COL	at ARI
34	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. MIL
35	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. STL	The forgotten man, needs to show he can stay healthy
36	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. MIL	Throws a ton of grounders but needs to induce more swing-and-miss
37	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. COL	Call me stubborn, but need to see second half improvement repeated
38	Trevor Williams	PIT	at DET
39	German Marquez	COL	at ARI
40	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. MIL	Recent history of thoracic outlet surgery returnees isn't favorable
41	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. CHC
42	Caleb Smith	NYY	vs. CHC
43	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at ATL
44	Chris Stratton	SF	at LAD	Strong spring, will be counted on to make up for Bumgarner's absence
45	Ty Blach	SF	at LAD
46	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at ATL	Tough spring, but strong arsenal and a chance to shine with Eickhoff sidelined
47	Odrisamer Despaigne	MIA	vs. CHC
48	Derek Holland	SF	at LAD	Cautiously optimistic he's better than this
49	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. WAS

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at TB	Great pitchers' park, facing weak lineup, especially against southpaws
2	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. SF	When healthy, still the best pitcher on the planet.
3	Max Scherzer	WAS	at CIN	Reds offense sneaky good after the break last season
4	Corey Kluber	CLE	at SEA	On road, but good park against a lineup needing to show it can gel
5	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	vs. STL	So much for dialing it down in the spring
6	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at SEA	Foot not an issue, all systems go
7	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. COL	First game with the humidor, Greinke looks fine after spring velocity scare
8	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. STL	Quietly effective last season, draws revamped Cards lineup at home
9	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. SF	Health not only concern, wasn't as sharp last year when on the mound
10	David Price	BOS	at TB	Made peace with fans, let's see if new attitude translates to field
11	Luis Severino	NYY	at TOR	Maybe even better than Kluber over the second half last season
12	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. SF	Lost effectiveness as the season wore on but begins 2018 in a great spot
13	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at CIN	Tougher draw than perceived in pitcher's park
14	Yu Darvish	CHC	at MIA	Nice spot to debut with new club
15	Jose Quintana	CHC	at MIA	No Stanton, no Ozuna, no problem.
16	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. PIT	Lower strikeouts ping ranking
17	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. SF	Got pulled early a lot last season, something to monitor
18	Luke Weaver	STL	at NYM	Mets built solid lineup, especially against righties
19	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TOR	Should continue last season's second half improvement
20	Chase Anderson	MIL	at SD	In good spot to show last season wasn't a fluke
21	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at MIA
22	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TEX
23	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. LAA	Look for a strong campaign now that ADD meds are under control
24	Sonny Gray	NYY	at TOR
25	Carlos Martinez	STL	at NYM
26	Jose Berrios	MIN	at BAL	Future ace, tough park but lineup not as daunting as usual
27	Justin Verlander	HOU	at TEX
28	Rick Porcello	BOS	at TB
29	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. WAS	The kid gloves are off this season
30	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. COL	Humidor gives better grip, which could help maintain better control
31	Aaron Nola	PHI	at ATL
32	Jon Lester	CHC	at MIA
33	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at SEA	Favorite or many to take the next step, faces strong challenge in his 2018 debut
34	Chris Archer	TB	vs. BOS
35	James Paxton	SEA	vs. CLE	Talent unquestioned, health and durability the concern
36	Johnny Cueto	SF	at LAD	Was 2017's down season due to blisters or something else?
37	Garrett Richards	LAA	at OAK	Could be one of the best if he can shake injury bug
38	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at OAK	Most anticipated debut in years, not a cake walk, A's have pop
39	Hector Velazquez	BOS	at TB	Filling in while Pomeranz, Rodriguez and Wright heal
40	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TOR
41	Michael Wacha	STL	at NYM	A lower hit rate away from the next level
42	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at OAK
43	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. PHI	Needs to reain dominance on righty hitters to mitigate damage facing lefties
44	Andrew Triggs	OAK	vs. LAA
45	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TEX	Tough matchup in first start for the defending champs
46	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at CIN
47	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	vs. PHI	Hopefully spends more time pitching than tweeting this season
48	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	at OAK
49	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. PHI	Stuff still great, needs to harness control
50	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. NYY
51	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. CLE
52	Tyler Anderson	COL	at ARI
53	Brent Suter	MIL	at SD	Good opportunity to cement rotation spot
54	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. CLE
55	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. CWS	Late spring shoulder tightness not an issue
56	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	at TEX	Top of the rotation stuff in between DL stints
57	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at DET	Sleeper pick of many opens on the road, key is containing rejuvenated Miggy and V-Mart
58	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. MIN
59	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. NYY
60	Blake Snell	TB	vs. BOS
61	Jacob Faria	TB	vs. BOS	Tentative, looked good last couple of spring outings
62	Dillon Peters	MIA	vs. CHC
63	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. CWS
64	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. WAS	Pitched way into rotation, not dominant but still effective
65	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at SD	Probably a little better than you think he is
66	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at KC	Ticketed for front of the rotation status but still enduring some growing pains
67	Ivan Nova	PIT	at DET
68	Jon Gray	COL	at ARI
69	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	vs. BOS	Returning from TJS, workload could be monitored early
70	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	vs. NYY
71	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at BAL
72	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. CWS
73	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. MIL
74	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. STL	The forgotten man, needs to show he can stay healthy
75	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. MIN	Ranking will rise if he demontrates second half was real
76	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
77	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. MIL	Throws a ton of grounders but needs to induce more swing-and-miss
78	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. COL	Call me stubborn, but need to see second half improvement repeated
79	Daniel Mengden	OAK	vs. LAA
80	Trevor Williams	PIT	at DET
81	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. PIT
82	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. HOU	Tough opener to rebound from rough 2017
83	German Marquez	COL	at ARI
84	Kendall Graveman	OAK	vs. LAA
85	Francisco Liriano	DET	vs. PIT
86	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at BAL	Aided by outfield defense, but this is a tough park to take advantage
87	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at KC
88	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. MIL	Recent history of thoracic outlet surgery returnees isn't favorable
89	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. HOU	Challenged immediately in return to rotation
90	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. CHC
91	Caleb Smith	NYY	vs. CHC
92	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at ATL
93	Chris Stratton	SF	at LAD	Strong spring, will be counted on to make up for Bumgarner's absence
94	Ty Blach	SF	at LAD
95	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. MIN
96	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at ATL	Tough spring, but strong arsenal and a chance to shine with Eickhoff sidelined
97	Matt Moore	TEX	vs. HOU
98	Odrisamer Despaigne	MIA	vs. CHC
99	Derek Holland	SF	at LAD	Cautiously optimistic he's better than this
100	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. WAS
101	James Shields	CWS	at KC
102	Doug Fister	TEX	vs. HOU